In Matthew 5.48, Jesus said to his disciples, "Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." So why don't Christians aim high? Why do we not aim for becoming saints? God deserves nothing but our best from us. I caught a little bit of a program on EWTN giving out good, helpful information to help your grow spiritually, but why do we not hear any speakers directly urging people to become saints? You don't need a saint to talk about becoming one ~ we need to know it because this is what the Lord asks of us! Aim high for God who is high and for whom everything is possible. Sainthood is the vocation call for every one of us Christians!
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Existing Within God
Communion experience. I desire to be conscious of God alone, not even myself, in my existence. This would be ideal. The goal is to be completely engulfed by him in his love. All in all, an exciting process.
Christ Mighty
Today is the memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus. John 14.6 is the Gospel acclamation at Mass: I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me. I believe all Christians are familiar with this verse ~ what a mighty statement! In fact, all his deeds and words are mighty, culminating in his Resurrection and Ascension. There is no one else mighty and holy like him. He alone is worthy to be God and is God! Ignore him and you remain lost!
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Grateful to God
Communion experience. I am most grateful to the Lord, for only he can take away my sins and only he can heal my soul ~ he gives me great joy! I love my Lord and my God.
Sin Deafens the Heart
God speaks to our heart constantly and it's beautiful to hear his sweet, gentle voice ~ but your heart must be pure and undefiled to hear him clearly, for sin makes it lose its hearing.
On Judging
At Mass this morning, a visiting priest made the distinction between judging someone's action and judging the person's intention. It is all right to judge someone's action to be wrong and correct him, but the intention is left for God to deal with. Jesus asks us not to judge ~ here "judge" implies "criticizing without love." It all goes to the saying: "Hate the sin, but love the sinner."
What Totally Matters
Where you go after you die matters. Whether you go to heaven or not absolutely matters. Therefore, believing in Jesus or not totally matters!
Works Matter
Today's response to Psalm 62 reads: Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works. God knows everything we do and everything we do matters to him and to us ~ this is the point. Happy is the one who always does God's will.
Being Alive Forever
I am alive now because God sustains all life. But if I let him dwell in me now (as in union), I shall be alive for ever!
Conserving Energy
One exercise book recommends that when you exercise with weights, do not show any strain on your face, but direct all your energy to lifting the weight. This makes sense in petitioning God too. It's natural for us to pray hard, wasting much energy on wondering if God has heard us or when and how he is going to respond to us. The superior and right way is to put all your energy into trusting in God and not any on feeling anxious and unsettled. In other words, pray from the heart, trust, and let it go.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Bittersweet Christian Life
As I prayed the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary today, I realized that they are all about what the Holy Mother experienced and that hardship accompanied her joy each time. (1) Annunciation ~ with the joy of learning that she had been chosen to bear the Savior came the great responsibility of nurturing and rearing him. (2) Visitation ~ visiting her cousin Elizabeth involved arduous long-distance traveling. (3) Nativity ~ with no room at the inn, Mother Mary had to give birth to Jesus in a manger. (4) Presentation ~ Simon foretold that a sword would pierce her soul. (5) Finding Jesus in Temple ~ the temporary missing child must have caused distress in the mother's heart.
After reflecting upon the above mysteries, I saw that the our Christian life is basically bittersweet. The bitterness are the hardships that are either necessary or brought about by sin, and the sweetness, the ever presence of Christ in our lives.
Connecting with God
It is not always possible to get someone to listen to you, yet you can easily penetrate the heart of God our Father with what comes from the depths of your heart. Be sincere and trusting and the Father hears you. Communication at such a deep level generates great delight in the heart.
Key to Freedom
There is only one who deserves all our love, and it is Christ the Lord. Recognizing this is the key to reconciliation with God, our inner peace, and our eternal happiness.
Blind Generations
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus said to the people gathered in the crowd, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah." What our generation, like all previous generations, has failed to recognize is that the biggest sign before us is Christ the Lord himself, the wonder of wonders!
Dealing With Reality
The bottom reality we face but do not always see in this world is the unceasing, ongoing battle between good and evil. In John 18.36, Jesus said, "My kingdom does not belong to this world." If we want to be with Jesus, we must not belong to this world either. So it is imperative that we overcome evil by being holy in this world so as to join Christ in his kingdom.
Joy of Holiness
In today's first reading from Romans 1, Paul reminded the Romans that they were called to belong to Jesus Christ, called to be holy. No doubt holiness pleases God, but anyone who is holy feels good himself too, being free and knowing that he pleases God. Anyone who does not feel any joy in the Lord cannot possibly be holy.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Purpose of This Blog
The common means of fostering spiritual growth are reading good books, listening to inspiring speakers, attending various conferences . . . to name a few. I advocate that you go directly to the Lord to learn from him, that is, seeking union with him. Union with God has been sadly and mistakenly thought of as for the saints only. The fact is that it is for all of us and is what God desires the most from us! Seeking union is indeed the superior fast track to knowing and learning to be like God. The Lord made this clear to me six years ago and it is the central message he wants me to spread via this blog.
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